On October 20, a delegation led by Mohamed Afennich, Dean of MBS School of Business, visited Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE). Li Yongqiang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC SWUFE Committee and President of SWUFE, met with the delegation.
The two sides held in-depth discussions on the development and operation of the Sino-French Institute, talent cultivation, faculty exchanges, research collaboration, and teaching quality assurance. Both sides agreed to operate the Institute in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, strengthen communication and coordination, leverage the strengths of both institutions, and jointly promote its high-quality development.
Following the meeting, a welcome ceremony for the Institute’s inaugural class was held at SWUFE’s Liulin Campus. Afennich and Li attended the ceremony and delivered remarks.
On behalf of SWUFE, Li welcomed the delegation and the inaugural class of students. He noted that Chengdu and Montpellier established the first sister-city partnership between China and France. Since the two institutions began their collaboration in 2016, their partnership has continued to deepen, culminating in the official establishment of the Sino-French Institute this year. This marks an important step in SWUFE’s efforts to support China’s strategy of opening up education and advance its World-Class Project. He emphasized that the Institute would pursue interdisciplinary integration and innovation-driven development to cultivate high-caliber, interdisciplinary professionals in emerging fields of finance and economics, equipped with global perspectives, innovative capabilities, and digital and AI literacy. He encouraged the students to develop a strong sense of responsibility to their country, shoulder the responsibilities of their generation, hone their skills, and align their personal aspirations with the development of the times.
Afennich expressed his appreciation for SWUFE’s longstanding support. He stated that the Sino-French Institute would fully leverage the strengths and resources of both institutions to nurture a new generation of professionals with broad cross-cultural perspectives and the ability to adapt to economic and technological changes. He encouraged the students to remain intellectually curious, embrace openness and humility, explore new ideas, learn from one another, forge friendships across borders, and serve as ambassadors of cultural exchange between China and France.
Yang Shilei, Dean of the Sino-French Institute, and Oussama Ammar, its French Vice Dean, delivered remarks. Student representative Tang Yiming shared his reflections on beginning university life.
Li presented appointment certificates to three Co-Directors of the joint programs. He and Afennich then jointly pressed the ceremonial launch button. The event concluded with a group rendition of the SWUFE anthem.
The Sino-French Institute at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics is a Chinese-foreign cooperative educational institution jointly established by SWUFE and MBS School of Business with the approval of China's Ministry of Education. Drawing on high-quality educational resources from both China and France, the Institute focuses on emerging fields of finance and economics, addressing China's development needs in key areas such as science and technology finance, big data, artificial intelligence, supply chain management, and project management. Keeping pace with global trends in finance and business education, the Institute emphasizes interdisciplinary integration and innovation-driven development, aiming to cultivate high-caliber interdisciplinary professionals with international perspectives, innovative capabilities, and digital and AI literacy. It offers three undergraduate programs in Financial Mathematics, Big Data Management and Application, and Supply Chain Management, as well as a master's program in Project Management.
